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It’s an unfortunately common occurrence: you get dragged along to the symphony and, try as you might, you can’t help but nod off. The trope of snoozing at the symphony is so well known in fact, that Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 94 contains an infamous subito forte, or “suddenly loud” chord in the middle of the piece, which historians speculate may have been meant to wake up the snoozers in the audience, due to the composer’s playful nature. But this woeful weariness can be harnessed for your educational benefit!
With finals and AP exams looming, many students find themselves cramming to remember all the facts they need to know. Concentration can be a huge struggle for teens; 26% of public schools reported that lack of students’ ability to focus had a “severe negative impact” on overall education in 2023 and 2024, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Different people try different things to help them dial in: some chew gum, some play with fidgets, but if you want to truly be successful, listen to classical music while you study!
According to yourclassical.org, a study from the University of Caen in France reported that students who listened to classical music during their studies achieved higher test scores than those who studied in silence, while another group of researchers from the University of Toronto found that the rhythmic and tonal patterns in the classical works of certain composers can actually slow the brainwaves, allowing the listener to enter a meditative state.
Research from a study published in “Human Physiology,” a peer-reviewed journal that focuses on the research and theories of the human mind and body, showed that children who listened to classical music for one hour per day displayed improvements in their brains’ efficiency and dopamine levels, which ultimately led to decreased levels of anxiety overtime. And the evidence doesn’t stop there, numerous research studies from centers such as the Duke Cancer Institute, the University of San Diego, and the Department of Medical Genetics at the University of Helsinki in Finland, all point to a strong correlation between listening to classical music and a decrease in blood pressure, anxiety levels, heart rate, and nervous system activity, leading to an increase in memory retention, relaxation, deep sleep, and dopamine levels.
Bocasymphonia.org reported on Dr. Kevin Labar, a professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke, who performed a study on music and cognitive function. In his study, he states “classical music produces this calming effect by stimulating the brain to release dopamine and inhibit the release of hormones from stress.” However, Labar also claims that these effects understandably may not impact listeners who do not enjoy classical music the same as those who do.
Mr. Rishi Wagle, director of choirs at Washington High School, argues that our brain’s meditative reaction to this music may not be as scientific as it is societal, stating “I would think that the mood that one would experience when listening to any genre of music would be predicated on kind of the way that that piece is constructed, whether it’s more chill in its orchestration and it’s tempo, versus more upbeat.” Wagle refers to the use of minor chords in music, or the note combinations that make us feel sad or anxious, as opposed to the major chords that release dopamine. Arguing that societal associations may be the source of our brains’ reactions to this music, he says “We, from a very early age, have strong positive associations with major key signatures…It’s kind of a self perpetuating association between major and minor being happy versus sad.”
Whatever your personal stance is, whether you believe the scientific side which points to chemical reactions in the brain, or the societal angle that credits associations for our feelings towards what we hear, it cannot be denied that many compositions in classical music have the almost magical ability to calm our brains, bringing us more focus, less nerves, and a better memory. With AP exams fast approaching, and many years of studying in our futures, only one thing remains uncertain. Will you take advantage of this musical phenomenon, and harness your brain’s truest potential?